For many in the Republican establishment, the ongoing flirtation with conservative grassroots over the last few years began to look a little like a walk of shame after Tuesday’s emergence of state Sens. Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton as front-runners in their respective runoffs against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Rep. Dan Branch. It was one thing for Republican leaders to bat their eyelashes at the Tea Party in the service of electing Gov. Rick Perry and Dewhurst, both reliably pro-business Republicans. But the barely suppressed fear of Patrick in insider circles in Austin suggests that a relationship ...

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I have a really radical suggestion for the Texas Tribune folks; why don't you actually sit down an TALK to some of the local Tea Party leaders? They ARE actually capable of speaking for themselves and you might actually learn a few things.

"Conservative" policies are really "traditionalist" policies..no change, no alteration, no rocking the boat and no progress. The progressives will take over America and the electorate and these arguments will be nothing but history.

The tea party is not for limited government, they just want to limit certain parts of government, you know, the parts that don't benefit them (or the people like the Kochs' that fund the tea party). If government will do something that benefits the tea party members (or better yet, the ones that fund it), then they like it. And ff government can be used to control "those people" (the ones the tea party look down on), by telling them what they can/cannot do, then all the better. And if government is doing something to help "those people" , well the tea party just won't tolerate that.

"dismantling of government" Question to the authors of this article. How do you dismantle government? If you mean reduce the size of government why don't you say that? I think I know why it doesn't have the shock value and does not fit your agenda.

Don't worry folks remember these clowns said Debra medina would be in first place in the race for Comptroller and that Kesha Rogers was ahead in the Democrat race for U.S. Senate. Why don't you clodhoppers quit this pretend polling and become caffeine mixologists at Starbucks. You'd stand a better chance at getting that right.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. . . . ..we'll be voting for people with sound fundamental values not gold diggers who abandon their kids. . . .we WILL NOT support the policies of FAILURE like the liberals do. . .

“Low salaries didn’t bother many of the legislators, for it was not the legislators but lobbyists—lobbyists for oil companies, railroads, banks, utilities—who did the presiding in Austin: in the capital’s bars and brothels, where they dispensed ‘beefsteak, bourbon and blondes’ so liberally that some descriptions of turn-of-the-century legislative sessions read like descriptions of one long orgy; in its backrooms, where decisions were made; even on the floor of the Legislature, which lobbyists roamed at will, often sitting at legislators’ desks and sometimes even casting votes on behalf of absent Representatives.” (Caro)

Politics is a less overt these days ... just remember "The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them . . ." (Ulyanov) and . . . "prohibition on corporate independent expenditures is thus a ban on speech" (http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-205.pdf)

There it is.......some liberal mentioned the EVIL Koch brothers. I wonder why there is no mention of Karl Rove? Libs are ridiculously funny. It's always someone else's fault and the boogie man is gonna get em.

If the Texas Tribune would actually read the 5 principals statement on the various TEA Party websites they would learn the following main issues that the TEA Parties support:1. Limited Government -- i.e. Federal Govt should not spend more that $2,000,000,000,000 per year.2. Fiscal Responsibility -- i.e. No TRILLION dollar Federal deficits and debts are acceptable3. Personal Responsibility -- i.e. individuals need to be responsible for their personal choices4. Rule of Law -- i.e. Federal Govt should obey the 9th and 10th amendments to US Constitution.5. National and State Sovereignty -- i.e. Federal Govt should stop the invasion by 20 million illegals.

None of the 5 principles should be opposed by normal law-abiding, U.S. Constitution loving American citizens.

For example, in the last Texas Legislative session, the TEA Parties in Texas support Texas State spending on highways and water infrastructure. We just wanted it paid for thru the regular appropriations process, not thru a special election that costs millions in taxpayer money.

To characterize TEA Party members or supports as radicals says more about the person making that comment than it does about the TEA Party.

Hopefully, the Texas Tribune will be honest now going forward and properly/factually describe the TEA Party as the fiscally responsible group we are.

"but poll data suggests" - it's past the point of 'suggestion' - it's fact that the Texas Taliban would shove Dumdamentalist tyranny down the throat of every Texan alive given the chance. After all, God is on their side.

There is a tendency by those in the press to lump folks together for their own purposes. The 'TEA Party'' is a movement and not a political party. It has three driving principles: Constitutionally limited government, Fiscal Responsibility, and Free Markets. Please notice that none of the principles are partisan.... BTW- Free people don't have 'leaders' they have public servants who can display the quality of 'leadership' by their action.